[R] what is mechanism of help(foo)?

[Uwe Ligges]

Uwe Ligges wrote:

> Yiming Zhou wrote:
> 
>> I wrote a R package, and installed it. But I don't understand how R 
>> can find right help content for object "foo" when calling "help(foo)". 
>> Who can give me underlying details or any reference regarding 
>> "help(foo)"?
>>  
>> In fact, after installing my package "pkg_foo" and calling 
>> library(pkg_foo), I can correcttly use any function and data in 
>> "pkg_foo". But I can't get help content when I type "?function_foo". 
>> My package included the files "CONTENTS", "DESCRIPTION", "INDEX", 
>> "TITLE" and subdirectories "DATA", "MAN", "HELP", "R".  
>> I built it in linux system, and install it in windows system. I tried 
>> to build it in windows system using "Rcmd build package_foo". System 
>> complained: "can't found 'sh', can't found 'tar' and 'gzip'.
>>  
>> I appreciate for any advises.
> 
> 
> So you haven't installed it on Windows, I guess. You would have seen the 
> same complaints during the installation process. So the help files have 
> not been build from your Rd files (you have created those files, I 
> presume).
> 
> Please read ...\rw1071\src\gnuwin32\readme.packages. It tells you which 
> additional tools are required to build binary packages and install 
> source packages.
> 
> Uwe Ligges

Let me add: Please read the manual "Writing R Extensions" as well!

Uwe Ligges